Oliver Sachs and me

Oliver Sachs, in his book Musicophilia, says that the love of music is universal among human beings, that "it lies so deep in human nature that one must think of it as innate". Citing "biophilia" or the love of living things, Sachs says "Perhaps musicophilia is a form of biophilia, since music itself feels almost like a living thing."

I have always thought of music as a living, organic entity common to all of us. I have taught thousands of piano students and have never encountered one who could not learn to play, though I have encountered many who THOUGHT they could not play (or sing, or write, or draw), no matter what difficulty they had to overcome. Dyslexia, for instance, makes reading music harder but not impossible.

The psychological, emotional and even physical benefits of playing an instrument are well documented, so I won't dwell on them. But I will tell you a bit about myself: I am a member of Music Teachers National Association and of California Association of Professional Music Teachers, with state and national certification. I have a California credential in piano. I am an emerita of Skyline College's music department and still play with a community orchestra and chorus.